english

My son Enzo recently started day care. Because I was afraid that full time day care or nursery school would introduce too much English too soon, I decided to go with a part time program. I feel I’ve made the right decision because It’s only been about a month and he already throws around English words in our conversations. I do not act surprised or scold, I simply say, “¿quieres decir _____? ” and insert the word in Spanish. HeRead More&nbsp...

Editor’s note: In the next months, we’ll be bringing you interviews with those who have first-hand experience with dual language immersion schools or programs: the parents who have their kids enrolled in them. The idea is to give you a closer look at what these programs are really like, how and why they work, as well as some of the challenges they face. Thanks to our contributor Elsie for coming up with this great idea! Today, I’m happy to shareRead More&nbsp...

I grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, where the only place I heard Spanish was within the walls of my high school. And what’s more, I took French! Eventually, I learned Spanish in college and then as a student in Venezuela and Cuba. While my first job out of college didn’t require Spanish at all, my second did. I worked at a nonprofit that partnered with public schools to provide literacy programs to elementary-aged kids. My students were almost allRead More&nbsp...

Editor’s note: We’re spending this week celebrating dads raising bilingual kids with guest posts written by them in honor of Father’s Day. We love having the dad’s perspective and hope this series encourages other papis to share their stories with us. Although this last post wasn’t written by a dad, it was written by a mom thanking her husband for keeping Spanish alive at home. As a “gringa” who didn’t start studying Spanish until the age of 13 and whose “road less traveled” ledRead More&nbsp...

I just got back from PBS’ annual meeting, which took place in Miami this year and where I had the pleasure of meeting “Mando,” Sesame Street’s newest bilingual cast member who is Latino. Ismael Cruz Córdova (Mando) is a charming and very talented 26-year-old actor who was born and raised in Puerto Rico and learned to speak English thanks to Sesame Street. I also had the chance to interview Carmen Osbah, who plays one of the other bilingual cast membersRead More&nbsp...